Working Woman
by dscholder6
Summary: Gwen muses on her last night at downton, and might do more later if I get the time...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Don't own anything, obviously. Just a little random idea I had that demanded to be written down. Probably another chapter after this one, unless my mind becomes difficult and makes me do something else. Reviews are appreciated :)

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><p>"I thought I might braid your hair," Anna says, armed with a hairbrush.<p>

"Why?" I ask. I just got into bed.

She gives me one of those quintessentially Anna smiles. "Because I want to, silly. It's your last night." I smile back, half amused and half sad. _Last night._ I sit down at the chair in front of the mirror in out room and take out the braid I already made. Anna stands behind me, still smiling. "So, are you excited?"

I nod. "Excited and scared."

Anna puts a hand on my head. "Don't move." She tries to look serious in the mirror, but in the end she smiles. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks." She starts to run the brush through my hair. We don't say anything for a bit. Here I am, in a room with a girl who has practically been my sister for the past six years. And I'm never going to see it or her again. Of course, Sybil says she'll have me over, but that will be as Sybil's guest. I nearly shiver at the thought. Sleeping in one of those guest beds instead of making them? How odd!

"You will write, won't you? I know you know how!" Anna always manages to make some sort of comment like that. I must have been looking rather down.

"Course I will. Maybe I'll even type my letters." Why did I think I'll never see Anna again? Of course we'll always be the best of friends.

"You know what this makes me think of?" she continues. She parts my hair in three. "All those men going to war. It's like you're going out to fight a battle against the world." She sighs and giggles at the same time. I didn't even know that was possible. "That sounded rather poetic, didn't it?"

"Maybe you should be the one going to work as a secretary." We both laugh at this.

"I don't think I'd work well in a cramped office with machines I don't know how to run."

"No, I don't think you would."

Anna brings my hair chunks one over the other. She turns quiet. "I'll miss you. I probably will need Daisy to shake me to get me up every morning. And I'll need to train another maid about how to make a bed and fluff a pillow and how not to fluff a pillow." I smile. One of the things I did when I first got here was fluff a pillow wrong. Looking back, I don't know how I did it, but I did. "I'll miss talking with you at night like this, randomly about things. And believe it or not, I'll miss having to cover for you when you take an adventure with Lady Sybil."

Anna sighs, and I decide to take over. "I'll miss being able to talk to you about things. I doubt there will be any other girls in the office, let alone someone as good as a sister." Anna smiles at me in the mirror, this time sadly. My eyes start to fill with tears. Of course, leave it to me to make this a depressing, pessimistic moment.

Anna ties off the end of my braid. "There. All set." She puts her head on my head. "All set to be a working woman of the world." She gets happier again. "Don't let me hear of you getting yourself into a Lady Mary situation."

I smile. "I won't." I don't say my next thought, for fear of depressing the mood again. I just thought of how I won't be able to say things like "Lady Mary situation" or "She was as mas as Mrs. Patmore at Daisy." I wonder who I'll talk to, if anyone. I should stop worrying. I thought I'd make no friends at Downton, and here I am, practically crying over one of them.

Everything will be alright. I keep telling myself that as I get into bed.

"Good night, Gwen," Anna says, as she blows out the candle.

"Good night, Anna," I say, probably for the last time.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Good-bye with Sybil as requested by bijou156 :)

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><p>I straighten my dress and look at myself in the mirror. Today is the day I am to leave Downton. I look…professional. I can't help but smile at myself. This is what I want to do, I am sure of it.<p>

Anna opens the door to our room. "You'll need to leave if you want to catch the train." I grab my suitcase sitting on the floor beside me. Anna walks in. "So…" is all she says. We smile at each other, that melancholy smile when something sad and happy is happening at the same time.

"Come here," Anna says, holding her arms out. We hug for a little bit. I feel the beginnings of tears. This is the same way I felt when I left home six years ago. "Good luck. I know you'll do fine."

I pull back and nod. "And if I don't, be sure they keep the post open." Anna giggles. I like it when she laughs like that. I really am going to miss her.

Her eyes sort of dart around the room, like one's eyes do in an awkward situation. "What are you going to do with that?" she asks, drawing my attention to my typewriter.

"Oh, well, I'm not going to be needing it, because they got typewriters there. I thought I'd give it to Lady Sybil, for all the trouble she went through." I sigh. It seems a pity I can't take it to my new job, but it's  
>so big and bulky and like I said, I won't be needing it. "I'd give it to you, but I don't think you'd know how to use it."<p>

Anna giggles again. "No, I don't think I would. I'll make sure Sybil takes good care of it." She pauses. "You'll need help carrying it, I daresay. Especially since you're going to be late if you don't hurry it up." I  
>put my suitcase down and we start to pick the typewriter up, when there's a knock at the door.<p>

"Come in," Anna and I say together.

Sybil pokes her in head in the room. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"Not at all, m'lady," I say, grateful I don't have to lift the typewriter now. It's nice, but it weighs a bleeding ton.

"I'm so excited for you, Gwen!" she says happily. She hugs me sort of impulsively. I don't mind though. Here's another friend I'm going to miss. Lord, I hate goodbyes.

"There's something I want to give you," I say, "For all the trouble you went through to get me this job." Anna leaves, and I admire her discretion for it.

"There's no need for that," Sybil responds cheerfully. "I was glad to do it. It was a lot of fun, wasn't it? And definitely worth it." She smiles at me. Another smile to miss.

"Well, it's something I won't be needing, and something I think you'll like." I bend over to my typewriter's carrying case. I open up the cover and Sybil gasps in shock. I feel like I ought to say something. "It's too  
>big to take on the train, and they got typewriters at the office, so…"<p>

"Oh, Gwen, I couldn't," she starts.

"I need to do something with it." Sybil looks from me to the typewriter and hugs me again. "Thank you, Gwen." She pulls back, looking at it. "It's still yours, though. It must have cost a fortune, and I wouldn't  
>want to take it away." I open my mouth to politely protest, but Sybil says, "No buts about it. I'll keep it for you, but when you visit and when you have the means to retrieve it, it's yours." I smile. I was expecting her to say something like that. Thank goodness, too. That cost me over a month's wages. Although it gained me a new job, which I suppose is worth more than it is.<p>

Anna opens the door again. "You really will be late, Gwen." I pick up my suitcase again. Sybil smiles at me. "Good bye, Gwen, and good luck."

"Thank you, m'lady." She looks at me as though I did something wrong. It takes me a minute. "Sybil."

Then I'm off to the train station, and my new life.


End file.
